philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I had to run over to my insurance brokers today because they needed to take pictures of my bike. As I pulled up to a stop sign there was a gentleman walking his dog, crossing the cross walk in front of me. He was eyeballing my bike, and when he got within talking distance to me he said, "hey, is that one of those Groms?"I said "no, it's an FZ 07." He kinda scratched his head then asked, "what size is it?" Assuming he meant the engine I said, "its a 700." He looked surprised, and kept walking. I'm 6'4" and about 250 lbs. I am a rather large person. I'm not overly fat, but I have a very large frame. When I bought the FZ 07 I did so mainly because it seemed like a starter bike that had enough oomph to get me around. I had wondered if the FZ 07 would look too small for me, and apparently it does. I guess the Yamaha FZ 07 looks like a Grom with me riding it. I don't care, I still love it. Lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yamahaha Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I'm a little lighter and shorter than you and I ride a Grom over the off season. I get some pretty funny looks and I love it. The 07 has a small footprint. When I meet them on the road riders always look big on them. They might be smallish but they sting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I'm 6'4", having the same issue haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I met some riders yesterday and one of them asked what size my bike was and when I told him he said it appeared to have a short wheel base. That didn't surprise me because that's what I thought when I saw pics of myself sitting on the bike, it looked smallish and I'm only 5' 8", 200 lbs. so don't go feeling like the Lone Ranger. The bike looks smallish compared to other bikes in it's class 'with no one sitting on it'. I have to add that one of the other guys said the FZ-07 didn't look right because it didn't have a fairing on it (like all their bikes had) so I told him it was a naked, hooligan type of bike that would be as odd with a full fairing as his gixxer 1000 would be without one. He just shook his head and I realized then he just doesn't know bikes, so, I switched the subject to something other than my bike. Maybe I should've asked him if he thought a motocross bike would look odd with a full fairing. Nah, wouldn't have made a difference and I wanted to keep the peace. Beemer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattybags Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 +1 I'm 280lbs and this is my first bike. The reason I bought the FZ-07, as opposed to a 500cc beginner bike, is because I'm fat and anything smaller would look ridiculous. Actually it still looks ridiculous. Cruising around the city last summer, I had someone ask me if I was riding a 250. Lol. I must look like Big Pun on this thing. And then he asked me why I didn't buy a Hayabusa, so I took his comment with a grain of salt and simply said this bike is more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 +1 I'm 280lbs and this is my first bike. The reason I bought the FZ-07, as opposed to a 500cc beginner bike, is because I'm fat and anything smaller would look ridiculous. Actually it still looks ridiculous. Cruising around the city last summer, I had someone ask me if I was riding a 250. Lol. I must look like Big Pun on this thing. And then he asked me why I didn't buy a Hayabusa, so I took his comment with a grain of salt and simply said this bike is more comfortable. Ha ha, your not alone man. I'm right there with you! lol. I was planning on buying a cb500f when I went to the dealership, but the dealer sold me on the FZ 07 just based on the extra power. Dealer said that the cb500 would be screaming in agony on the freeway with me on it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 I met some riders yesterday and one of them asked what size my bike was and when I told him he said it appeared to have a short wheel base. That didn't surprise me because that's what I thought when I saw pics of myself sitting on the bike, it looked smallish and I'm only 5' 8", 200 lbs. so don't go feeling like the Lone Ranger. The bike looks smallish compared to other bikes in it's class 'with no one sitting on it'. I have to add that one of the other guys said the FZ-07 didn't look right because it didn't have a fairing on it (like all their bikes had) so I told him it was a naked, hooligan type of bike that would be as odd with a full fairing as his gixxer 1000 would be without one. He just shook his head and I realized then he just doesn't know bikes, so, I switched the subject to something other than my bike. Maybe I should've asked him if he thought a motocross bike would look odd with a full fairing. Nah, wouldn't have made a difference and I wanted to keep the peace. My roommate is an older gentleman and he said the same thing about my FZ 07 when I got it. He was like, "that things cool, but it looks really short". He added, "maybe you should have gotten a hog!". I was like, "nah, no hog for me." Nothing against them but the big cruisers just don't appeal to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 I'm 6'4", having the same issue haha. Being 6'4" in my experience is a little bit of a tight fit. I feel ok on the bike, but I have experienced a tad bit of leg cramping when riding for longer periods. I wouldn't mind lowering the pegs just a tad, or maybe building the seat up a little. I don't want it to affect performance though. Most likely i'll just continue to adapt to the bike the way that it is. Do you feel cramped on the bike at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I'm 6'4", having the same issue haha. Being 6'4" in my experience is a little bit of a tight fit. I feel ok on the bike, but I have experienced a tad bit of leg cramping when riding for longer periods. I wouldn't mind lowering the pegs just a tad, or maybe building the seat up a little. I don't want it to affect performance though. Most likely i'll just continue to adapt to the bike the way that it is. Do you feel cramped on the bike at all? I definitely felt cramped when I had things stock, but I've since moved the bars forward, added rearsets, and an aftermarket corbin seat which is noticeably taller. Combining all of those factors makes the bike feels like it has much more room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 Being 6'4" in my experience is a little bit of a tight fit. I feel ok on the bike, but I have experienced a tad bit of leg cramping when riding for longer periods. I wouldn't mind lowering the pegs just a tad, or maybe building the seat up a little. I don't want it to affect performance though. Most likely i'll just continue to adapt to the bike the way that it is. Do you feel cramped on the bike at all? I definitely felt cramped when I had things stock, but I've since moved the bars forward, added rearsets, and an aftermarket corbin seat which is noticeably taller. Combining all of those factors makes the bike feels like it has much more room. Nice, it sounds like you've really hooked your bike up! If you don't mind me asking, about how much did you have to sink in to those upgrades which made the bike fit you better? Do you have any pictures? I've just come into a little extra cash myself, and now that I've got all of my proper riding gear I'm looking at doing some upgrades to mine as well. I really want to get exhaust and EJK, but the money may be better spent on making the bike fit me better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 I definitely felt cramped when I had things stock, but I've since moved the bars forward, added rearsets, and an aftermarket corbin seat which is noticeably taller. Combining all of those factors makes the bike feels like it has much more room. Nice, it sounds like you've really hooked your bike up! If you don't mind me asking, about how much did you have to sink in to those upgrades which made the bike fit you better? Do you have any pictures? I've just come into a little extra cash myself, and now that I've got all of my proper riding gear I'm looking at doing some upgrades to mine as well. I really want to get exhaust and EJK, but the money may be better spent on making the bike fit me better. Honestly, although I really like the ergonomic changes I've made, I strongly recommend you get an exhaust and ecu reflash as your first upgrades. I've dumped more money into this bike than I probably should and the ecu reflash is far and away the biggest contributor to comfort and ride-ability. It transforms the bike completely. As far as what I put into the upgrades, between the bars, adjustable risers, speedo relocator to fit the bars, seat, and rearsets, I spent over a thousand dollars total. All of the components other than the seat are Gilles and were purchased from Paul at @bellissimoto. He is a great resource. If I were to pick any one thing to change I would pick the seat. The stock seat is extremely uncomfortable to me, since the length of my legs forced me to sit almost directly in between the forward and rearward sections on the plastic. For around $400 from corbin you'll get a custom designed seat where you pick the color and material type of each element of the seat, a noticeable increase in seat height (never measured, but I'd estimate an inch at least), and a much more comfortable seat overall. The seat pan is wider too, which is nice for long rides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddog Posted January 4, 2017 Share Posted January 4, 2017 This is my seat. I have the version with a passenger section and optional backrest (I didn't get the backrest). If you don't plan on having a passenger they make a version that is swept back after the rise instead of flat. http://i.imgur.com/JNgCjYOh.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 4, 2017 Author Share Posted January 4, 2017 This is my seat. I have the version with a passenger section and optional backrest (I didn't get the backrest). If you don't plan on having a passenger they make a version that is swept back after the rise instead of flat. http://i.imgur.com/JNgCjYOh.jpg That looks stunning man! Thanks for sharing, and thank you for the tips. It's always great to get advice from someone who's already been down the path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellissimoto Posted January 5, 2017 Share Posted January 5, 2017 Thanks for the mention @ddog ! Always glad to help! - Paul BellissiMoto.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josaa Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 I chose the FZ-07 because it reminded me of my old Grom, which got stolen. I ended up getting the FZ two weeks after lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemer Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 +1 I'm 280lbs and this is my first bike. The reason I bought the FZ-07, as opposed to a 500cc beginner bike, is because I'm fat and anything smaller would look ridiculous. Actually it still looks ridiculous. Cruising around the city last summer, I had someone ask me if I was riding a 250. Lol. I must look like Big Pun on this thing. And then he asked me why I didn't buy a Hayabusa, so I took his comment with a grain of salt and simply said this bike is more comfortable. You should've asked him what car he drives and after he replied you then ask him why he didn't buy the fastest production car in the world. Point being you don't buy something just because it's the fastest. Beemer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liami Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 It is a very small bike. Literally the day I got it back in may, roughly 40 minutes after I picked it up, only like 20-30 miles on the bike, someone on the highway at a traffic light asked me if it's a 250. He was shocked when I said no, it's 700. I still get looks like what's that, then that kinda scoff when they think it's smaller. Then you hit the throttle, look in your rear view, and feel satisfied at the face they make when they realize it's not small Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liami Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 And on the mention of hayabusas....no hate towards people who have them, but I hate hayabusas themselves. Will very likely never get one. I'll go for the s1000rr first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duenan Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 What? Where are the pics? Nah, just kidding. Engaging with people that have personality disorders on a message board is like arguing with a rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philthyphil Posted January 7, 2017 Author Share Posted January 7, 2017 And on the mention of hayabusas....no hate towards people who have them, but I hate hayabusas themselves. Will very likely never get one. I'll go for the s1000rr first I've never ridden or sat on a busa but they look a comfortable supersport type bike for bigger riders. I just can't get over the way they look style wise though. Can't stand that big hump in the back. It looks like a hump back whale on two wheels.. lol. Couldn't ever see myself buying one just based off that. I wish there were more options in the 'supersport' category for the big and tall variety of rider. I'm learning how to ride on the FZ 07, and I'm sure it will keep me happy for a long time. It is a smallish sized bike, but I feel comfortable enough on it. I would like to experience the high revving goodness of a supersport one day though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liami Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 And on the mention of hayabusas....no hate towards people who have them, but I hate hayabusas themselves. Will very likely never get one. I'll go for the s1000rr first I've never ridden or sat on a busa but they look a comfortable supersport type bike for bigger riders. I just can't get over the way they look style wise though. Can't stand that big hump in the back. It looks like a hump back whale on two wheels.. lol. Couldn't ever see myself buying one just based off that. I wish there were more options in the 'supersport' category for the big and tall variety of rider. I'm learning how to ride on the FZ 07, and I'm sure it will keep me happy for a long time. It is a smallish sized bike, but I feel comfortable enough on it. I would like to experience the high revving goodness of a supersport one day though. Busas have a super aggressive lean angle (granted I'm shortish at 5'6"), I almost lay flat on the tank just to reach the bars, its seat is fairly tall, I'm on tip toes, it is super super heavy. Heavier than any other bike I've sat on, including cruisers. The throttle is super touchy and, unless you drive track often, I don't feel it's worth owning. On the streets, you'll never reach its limit, and what's he point in having a bike if you don't even use half the power available to you? I personally just think busas are overrated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackcat109 Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 It's not so bad. I helped my brother get a ninja 300 and they looked the same size if you looked at the right angle, but with the difference in seat height and overall girth of the bike the difference is marginal. Its mostly because frames lie to people about how big the bike really is. The ninja 300 is like 90% empty space, but just looks big. While riding it home I got the same question of: "Is that the grom I keep hearing about?" Mostly due to the position being upright but wierd for a man of 6' 220 lbs. What I'm trying to say is that it could be much much worse and that frames lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 There is a concept in the US that bikes for "real men" are 1000 cc onwards - this applies to all kinds of bikes, from H-Ds to supersports... therefore only physicslly big bikes are the ones appreciated over this side of the Atlantic ocean... Well, I believe that there is a lack of motorcycle culture in general and people don't understand that: - 1) A 1000 cc bike as a first bike is just giving a license to kill yourself - 2) <1000 cc bikes can be fun I have ridden H-Ds 883 and they had that H-D essence. A maxiscooter has its pros too (so easy to lean and that superb gas-only acceleration, like an automatic car), etc... If only we appreciated the models that are not available in the US because of this idea that big bikes are the only ones men ride... (see XSR700, Tracer 700, etc.). Safe riding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takenchance Posted January 8, 2017 Share Posted January 8, 2017 6'2 270lbs I feel your pain. All my coworkers say I am too big for my bike. But I love my fz07 and I wouldn't change anything. It's my first bike and I love it. I have been looking at the Fz-10 because it fits me so much more but I will always love my fz-07. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member jake Posted January 8, 2017 Premium Member Share Posted January 8, 2017 https://goo.gl/images/7UzsFd this is what I look like http://www.aaanything.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Fat_guy_on_a_little_motorcycle.jpeg 2015 FZ-07 2003 2014 GSXR 1000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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